This invention relates to a method of operating a battery of coke ovens wherein during each regenerative change of draught on heating flues an interruption occurs to the supply of gas at a fixed rate into the flues formed by subdivisions in heating walls arranged alternately between coke oven chambers. More particularly, such a method of operation proceeds after first assuring uniform heating of the coking coal vertically along the heating walls by adjustment to the combustion in the heating flues and after adjusting control elements, such as curtains, dampers or the like, to control the operation of discrete heating flues in each heating wall to insure uniform heating of the coking coal lengthwise of the oven chambers and of discrete heating walls along the battery to insure uniform heating of all oven chambers.
Vertically uniform heating of the coking coal in oven chambers depends upon the shape of the flames rising in the heating flues. The flame shape may be affected by the heating gas and the combustion-supporting air which can be supplied at different levels in the flues. Control elements provided between the regenerator sole flue and the regenerator or disposed in the heating flues may be employed to control the differential heating in discrete heating flues associated with a single heating wall. This differential heating is necessary so as to compensate or allow for the narrowing of the oven chamber from coke side to machine side and for other factors which bring about different heat requirements lengthwise of the oven chamber. Uniform heating of all the heating walls can be achieved by the use of oven curtains between the waste heat valve and the waste heat flue.
These three forms of adjustment as enumerated above can be employed to insure uniform heating of the contents in all the oven chambers in a coke oven battery vertically along the height of the oven chambers and lengthwise of the oven chambers. However, such forms of adjustment once effected, insure uniform heating throughout only one particular carbonization time by each coke oven chamber. In other words, after the adjustments for uniform heating are made, the carbonization time for the contents in an oven chamber is fixed. All other things being equal.
A particular operating or coking time by the oven chambers in the battery is associated with a particular quantity of heating gas supplied per unit of time, i.e., a particular gas supply rate. If there is an appreciable change in the coking period, there is also a change not only in the quantity of gas to be supplied per unit of time, but also a change to the settings of control elements that control the inflow and discharge of gaseous media for the various flues in the heating walls. There is also a variation to the shape of the flame rising in the heating flues. A changeover to a different coking period for a battery is a difficult undertaking, requiring several weeks to complete. Such a changeover is based on changing the gas supply rate and adjusting the settings of the various control elements.